Medical corset

ABSTRACT

A medical corset to be worn about the waist for supporting the wearer&#39;&#39;s back and abdominal regions. The corset has a posterior back supporting panel containing metal stays which are bendable to conform to a variety of body back contours, a number of separate elastic, laterally overlapping body bands of different length secured to the longitudinal edges of the panel for encircling the wearer&#39;&#39;s waist, and fastening means for adjustably joining the bands in front of the wearer&#39;&#39;s body in such a way as to accommodate application of the corset to a variety of body sizes and shapes.

United States Patent t [.54] MEDICAL CORSET 4 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.[52] US. Cl 128/78, 128/578 [51] Int. Cl A6lf5/02 [50] Field of Search128/78,

541 545, 578 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,104,699 H1938ODell 128/78 2,596,765 5/1952 Dubner 128/578 3,434,469 3/1969 Swift128/78 3,441,027 4/1969 Lehman 128/578 Primary Examiner-Richard A.Gaudet Assistant Examiner-J. Yasko AttorneyRobert E. Geauque ABSTRACT: Amedical corset to be worn about the waist for supporting the wearersback and abdominal regions. The corset has a posterior back supportingpanel containing metal stays which are bendable to conform to a varietyof body back contours, a number of separate elastic, laterallyoverlapping body bands of different length secured to the longitudinaledges of the panel for encircling the wearers waist, and fastening meansfor adjustably joining the bands in front of the wearers body in such away as to accommodate application of the corset to a variety of bodysizes and shapes.

Patented March16, 1971 INVENI'OR.

BY Pf MEDICAL CORSET BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of theInvention This invention relates generally to body corsets. More par- 5ticularly, the invention relates to a novel medical corset which isuniquely constructed and arranged to provide optimum body support andaccommodate application of the corset to a variety of body sizes andshapes.

2. Prior Art Many different body corset constructions have been devised.Such corsets may be generally classified as cosmetic corsets and medicalor therapeutic corsets. A cosmetic corset is designed simply to enhancethe appearance of the wearer. A medical corset, on the other hand,isdesigned to provide a therapeutic or corrective body support forpersons afflicted with certain types of body weaknesses or otherabnormalities in their body structure. The present invention isconcerned with corsets of this latter type. Typical of the existingcorsets of this kind are those disclosed in US. Pat. Nos. 1,437,330;1,893,960; 2,104,699; 3,013,561; and 3,115,879.

The existing medical corsets are characterized by certain deficiencieswhich this invention seeks to overcome. In general, such deficienciesinvolve limited adjustability of the corsets to accommodate differentbody sizes and shapes, inadequate body support, complexity ofconstruction, relative high cost of manufacture, and the like.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides an improvedmedical or therapeutic corset which avoids the above noted and otherdeficiencies. The present corset, for example, offers three unique andbeneficial advantages. First, the corset is adjustable and uniquelyconstructed in such a way as to accommodate application of the corset toa wide variety of body shapes and sizes. Secondly, the corset isdesigned to provide optimum support for the back and abdominal regionsof the wearers body. Third, the corset is extremely simple inconstruction, relatively simple to manufacture, and can be produced atminimum cost.

To these ends, the present corset is provided with a posterior backsupporting panel, and a number of separate elastic body bands ofdifferent length secured at one end to the longitudinal edges of thepanel. Thesebands are adapted to be stretched about the wearers waist tolocate the free ends of the corresponding bands in overlapping relationin front of the wearer's body. Adjustable fastening means, such asVelcro tape, are attached to the free ends of the bands for adjustablyjoining the overlapping ends of the bands.

One unique feature of the present corset resides in the fact that thedifference in length of the body bands, the elasticity of these bands,and the adjustable band fastening means render the corset adjustable forapplication to a wide variety of body sizes and shapes. According toanother feature of the invention, the adjacent body bands along eachedge of the posterior corset panel are disposed in laterally overlappingrelation in such a way that the bands provide ideal, laterallycontinuous support for the wearers body for the entire combined width ofthe bands.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERREDEMBODIMENT Referring now to these drawings and particularly to FIGS.I-3, there is illustrated a medical corset 10 according to the inventionhaving a relatively stiff though somewhat yieldable and flexibleposterior panel 12 and a number of elastic body bands 14, 1.6, 18secured at one end to each longitudinal edge of the panel. Thecorresponding body bands at opposite sides of the panel are alignedlaterally of the panel to form a pair of bands. Each such pair of bodybands are adapted to be stretched about the wearers waist in such a wayas to locate the free ends of the bands in overlapping relation in frontof thewearers body. These free band ends are provided with adjustablereleasable fastening means 20 for joining the overlapping ends of thebands. According to one feature of the invention, the body bands havedifferent lengths which cooperate with the elasticity of the bands andthe adjustability of the band fastening means to render the corsetadjustable for application to a variety of body sizes and shapes.According to another feature of the invention, the adjacent body bandsalong each edge of the posterior corset panel 12 are disposed inlaterally overlapping relation to provide ideal, laterally continuoussupport for the wearers abdominal region over the entire combined widthof the bands.

Referring now in greater detail to the embodiment of the invention whichhas been selected for illustration in FIG. 13, the posterior corsetpanel 12 has an essentially laminated construction and includes an outerlayer 22 and an inner, body engaging layer 24. The outer layer 22provides the main structural strength of the panel and may comprise aleatherette or plastic sheet. The inner layer 24 is a cushioning layerwhich is designed to prevent chafing or other irritation of the wearersskin and thus render the corset comfortable to wear. The innercushioning layer 24 may comprise felt, foam rubber, or the like. Thepanel layers 22, 24 may be adhesively bonded and/or stitched to oneanother or joined in any other convenient way.

The posterior panel 12 of the particular corset illustrated is elongatedvertically, that is, in a transverse direction of the body bands 14, 16,18 so as to engage a substantial portion of the wearers back. This panelis made relatively stiff through somewhat yieldable or flexible, asalready noted, so as to enable the panel to provide optimum therapeuticsupport the wearers body. Panel 12 may be provided with the requisitestiffness in various ways. The illustrated panel, for example, is formedwith pockets 26 containing metal stays 28. These stays may be bent toconform to the particular contour of the wearers body and/or to applysupporting pressure to selected points of the body.

The body bands 14, 16, 18 of the corset 10 are similar except for theirdifferent lengths. Thus, each band comprises an elastic web 30 which isstitched at one end to the adjacent longitudinal edge of the posteriorcorset panel 12. The body band fastening means 20 are applied to theopposite, free ends of these elastic webs. Conceivably, various types ofweb fastening means may be used on the present corset. Preferably,however, the fastening means 20 for each pair of corresponding bodybands 14, I6, 18 comprise mating Velcro tapes 32, 34 which are stitchedor otherwise joined to the free ends of the corresponding bands. It issignificant to note that one the the Velcro tapes for each pair ofcorresponding body bands is substantially larger than the other Velcrotape. This difference in the sizes of the mating Velcro tapes permitsadjustable interlocking engagement of the tapes in such a way as toprovide effective adjustment for the length of the body bands 14, 16,18. Preferably, the smaller tape is the Velcro hook tape.

When applying the medical corset 10 to the body, the posterior corsetpanel 12 is located in the desired position against the wearers back.The body bands l4, 16, 118 are then stretched forwardly about the warerswaist W to locate the mating Velcro tapes 32, 34 on the correspondingbands in overlapping relation at the front of the wearers body. Themating tapes are then pressed firmly together to join the correspondingbody bands. As just noted, the difference in size of the mating tapespermits adjustable fastening of the tapes to one another in such a wayas to adjust the effective length of the body bands.

The particular corset under discussion has three body bands 14, 16, and18 along each edge of the posterior corset panel 12. The two outer bandsalong each edge of the panel, that is, the uppermost band 14 andlowermost band 18, are slightly longer than the intervening center band16. The ends of the outer bands thus extend a short distance beyond theends of the center bands, as shown. Moreover, as noted earlier and alsoshown in the drawings, the longitudinal edge portions of the adjacentbody bands are disposed in overlapping relation. The three body bandsl4, 16, 18 along each edge of the posterior corset panel 12 thus providean effective laterally continuous support for the wearers abdominalregion. lt has been found that optimum conformation of the corset to thehuman body is achieved by longitudinally dimensioning the body bands, asshown, and by securing the upper bands 14 to the panel 12 in such a waythat these bands extend downwardly at a slight angle relative to andacross the adjacent center bands 16. The center and lower body bands 16,18 generally parallel one another. Preferably, the inner ends of theupper body bands 14 are cut on the bias, as shown, to facilitateattachment of these bands to the panel.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate a slightly modified and presently preferredcorset according to the invention. The preferred corset has only twolaterally overlapping body bands 14, 16' along each edge of theposterior corset panel 12' and the panel has a vertical heightapproximately the overall width of these two bands. The upper body bands14' in FIG. 4 are slightly shorter than the lower bands 16. Each bodyband 14 and 16' has a longitudinally inner elastic web section 30' and alongitudinally outer nonelastic web section 31' which are stitched orotherwise joined end-to-end as shown. The inner ends of the innerelastic sections are stitched or otherwise joined to the adjacent edgesof the posterior panel 12'. The upper edges of the upper nonelasticsections 31 and the lower edges of the lower nonelastic sections 31' arecut on the bias, as illustrated, to better conform to the body when thecorset is applied and to improve the wearing comfort of the corset. Theposterior panel 12 and the outer nonelastic body band sections 31 have alaminated construction including an outer layer of leatherette orplastic material and an inner body engaging layer of felt, lined foamrubber, or the like. The posterior panel 12' contains bendable stays28'.

The body bands 14, 16' and provided with adjustable fastening means foradjustable and releasably joining the corresponding bands when thecorset is worn. In this case, the fastening means comprise flaps 32' ofVelcro hook material which are stitched or otherwise joined to the outerends of one pair of adjacent body bands 14', 16 and strips 34 of Velcropile material which are stitched or adhesively bonded to the outerleatherette or plastic surfaces of the nonelastic band sections 31 ofthe other body band pair. These pile strips may have pressure sensitivesurfaces secured to the body bands, for example.

The preferred corset 10 is applied and worn in essentially the samemanner as described earlier in connection with the first embodiment ofthe intention. The preferred corset, however, may be wornas a lower backsupport by placing the longer body bands 16 at the bottom and as a ribsplint by placing the longer bands at the top.

Accordingly, while the invention has herein been shown and described inwhat is conceived to be its most practical and preferred embodiment, itis recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope ofthe invention, which is not be to be limited to the details disclosedherein, but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as toembrace any and all equivalent devices.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new in support ofLetters Patent is:

I claim: 1. A medical corset to be worn about the waist for supportingthe wearers back and abdominal regions, said corset comprising:

a relatively stiff though somewhat flexible posterior back engagingpanel, said panel having substantially parallel opposite edges;

a first elastic body band joined at one end to one of said edges, asecond elastic body band joined at one end to the other of said edges,said first band and said second band being substantially in an inlinerelationship, said first and second bands being adapted to encircle thewearers waist in such a way as to locate the free ends of said bands inan overlapping relation in front of the wearers body;

a third elastic body band joined at one end to one of said edges, afourth elastic body band joined at one end to the other of said edges,said third and fourth band being substantially in an inlinerelationship, said third band being parallel to said first band, saidfourth band being parallel to said second band, said third and fourthbands being adapted to encircle the wearers hips in such a way as tolocate the free ends of said bands in an overlapping relation in frontof the wearer's body, said third band exteriorly overlapping a portionof said first band, said fourth band exteriorly overlapping a portion ofsaid second band; and

adjustable fastening means attached to the free ends of said bands forreleasably and adjustably joining the overlapping ends of said bodybands in such a way to accommodate application of said corset to wearersof various sizes and shapes.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein each of said body bandsincludes a nonelastic section at the free end thereof.

3. Apparatus as defined in clam 2 wherein said third and fourth bodybands being greater in length than said first and second body bands.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 2 including a fifth elastic body bandconnected at one end to one of said edges, a sixth elastic body bandconnected at one end to the other of said edges, said fifth bandpartially exteriorly overlapping with said first band, said sixth bandpartially exteriorly overlapping with said second band, said fifth andsixth bands not being in an inline relationship.

1. A medical corset to be worn about the waist for supporting thewearer''s back and abdominal regions, said corset comprising: arelatively stiff though somewhat flexible posterior back engaging panel,said panel having substantially parallel opposite edges; a first elasticbody band joined at one end to one of said edges, a second elastic bodyband joined at one end to the other of said edges, said first band andsaid second band being substantially in an inline relationship, saidfirst and second bands being adapted to encircle the wearer''s waist insuch a way as to locate the free ends of said bands in an overlappingrelation in front of the wearer''s body; a third elastic body bandjoined at one end to one of said edges, a fourth elastic body bandjoined at one end to the other of said edges, said third and fourth bandbeing substantially in an inline relationship, said third band beingparallel to said first band, said fourth band being parallel to saidsecond band, said third and fourth bands being adapted to encircle thewearer''s hips in such a way as to locate the free ends of said bands inan overlapping relation in front of the wearer''s body, said third bandexteriorly overlapping a portion of said first band, said fourth bandexteriorly overlapping a portion of said second band; and adjustablefastening means attached to the free ends of said bands for releasablyand adjustably joining the overlapping ends of said body bands in such away to accommodate application of said corset to wearer''s of varioussizes and shapes.
 2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein each ofsaid body bands includes a nonelastic section at the free end thereof.3. Apparatus as defined in clam 2 wherein said third and fourth bodybands being greater in length than said first and second body bands. 4.Apparatus as defined in claim 2 including a fifth elastic body bandconnected at one end to one of said edges, a sixth elastic body bandconnected at one end to the other of said edges, said fifth bandpartially exteriorly overlapping with said first band, said sixth bandpartially exteriorly overlapping with said second band, said fifth andsixth bands not being in an inline relationship.